Apple on Tuesday was forced again to delay estimated shipping times for new iPad 2 orders, as those who buy must now wait four to five weeks for their order to be sent.

Yet another delay comes as stock of the iPad 2 around the U.S. is believed to be entirely sold out at all locations, including Apple's retail stores and partners. Some select Apple stores with new shipments of the iPad 2 are set to open early today, while many other stores await more stock in the face of crushing demand.

The latest delay applies to all models of the iPad 2, including Wi-Fi and both 3G models from AT&T and Verizon. It also includes all capacities: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.

"Demand for the next generation iPad 2 has been amazing," Apple said in a statement to the press this week. "We are working hard to get iPad 2 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible."

Tuesday's need to push back estimated shipping times is the latest in a string of delays since the iPad 2 first went on sale in the U.S. last Friday. Initial orders were scheduled to ship in a matter of days, but the wait was quickly pushed back to between two and three weeks.

On Saturday, Apple was forced to extend estimates to three to four weeks. Now, customers who hesitated to buy could be waiting over a month to receive their iPad 2.

Wall Street analysts generally expect that Apple sold at least a half million of the iPad 2 in its first weekend of availability. More bullish estimates have forecast Apple to have sold as many as 1 million at launch.

Remember all those people saying those waiting in line were stupid, and if they'd just been patient and waited a week or two, they'd be able to waltz right in and pick one up? Well... looks like they were wrong. This thing is red-hot.

Absolutely crazy. I picked one up from Walmart and have been amazed at how thin and light it feels. I am so glad I didn't have to wait a month or so.

Got mine launch day, Stamford, CT. Planned to be there at 4pm, but at 3pm got a bit anxious so I justified my obsession by saying I'd visit a bookstore, grab a coffee, and see what the line was like. 3:15, there were already possibly over a hundred people in front of me. Almost walked out then and there - historically I've been an "order it and have it come to me...I can take the wait" kind of guy, and I've never been one to stand in line.

Obviously, I did it anyway. Fifteen minutes later the line behind me was two hundred feet down the hall to the exit, then looped right back up to me and one hundred feet farther.

I'm extremely happy with it. Browsing is absolutely blazing fast compared to the first iPad. Quantitatively, it's not that much lighter, but it is enough of a difference to breach threshold...you will notice it immediately, and welcome it. It is also much, much more comfortable to hold. Not sure if it is the material or merely the thinness and flat back, but it is much less slippery as well. I'm drawing up a pre-nup agreement with it as I write this. I'm hoping for a boy, she's hoping for a girl, but really we'll be satisfied with two eyes, two arms, two legs, a beating heart, and a touchscreen.

Yes Apple, work hard cracking the whip that makes the slaves pump these out faster. Apple you are not "working hard", your supply contractors are, ergo the common Chinese worker.

Taking a month to ramp up proper production is hardly rocket science.

They're getting paid and without Apple, they might not even have a job, or maybe they'd be standing in a rice field somewhere.

As for rocket science, you are clearly not a rocket scientist. It took the super popular iPhone 74 days to hit the 1 million mark, and Apple most likely sold that many iPad 2's in 1 day. The iPad 1, which was also a huge success moved 300,000 on launch.

iPad2's are being sold and probably 1 million people already have them in their hands. You and alot of the other people who like to second guess after the fact would make a bad CEO if you were in charge of Apple. Like I stated on a previous thread, the iPad is being adopted quicker than the VHS recorder, the DVD player, the game console and digital cameras.

Wow. Apple is on fire! I went to the Apple store opening day and saw the line and headed straight home. I ordered it online and will be waiting another 2-3 weeks. Ah Cest La Vie I'm in no rush and my current iPad makes the waiting easier.

Poor Motorola. I'd be just a tad worried about Xoom sales at this point.

Poor Motorola. I'd be just a tad worried about Xoom sales at this point.

You're right about that.

The iPad 2 sold more in a matter of hours than the Xoom will sell for the entire quarter. It's estimated that the Xoom will sell around 300,000 for the entire quarter. Anybody who even mentions the Xoom in the same breath as iPad, and is seriously trying to compare the two is living on a different planet, or at the very least in a rubber padded room.

They're getting paid and without Apple, they might not even have a job, or maybe they'd be standing in a rice field somewhere.

As for rocket science, you are clearly not a rocket scientist. It took the super popular iPhone 74 days to hit the 1 million mark, and Apple most likely sold that many iPad 2's in 1 day. The iPad 1, which was also a huge success moved 300,000 on launch.

iPad2's are being sold and probably 1 million people already have them in their hands. You and alot of the other people who like to second guess after the fact would make a bad CEO if you were in charge of Apple. Like I stated on a previous thread, the iPad is being adopted quicker than the VHS recorder, the DVD player, the game console and digital cameras.

agreed
apple's monster hits
just
keep getting bigger
the ipad2 seems like a great media machine.

The big thing is that in virtually every review iPad beats or trounces Zoom and Galaxy tab. I suspect many people were waiting for this generation of tablet, but on the fence about which to choose. The zoom sounded like it might have better specs. After the flock of reviews the choice is easy: iPad 2.

Geez, again with the semantics, AI! Do you really know that Apple was "forced" to change its shipping time? Maybe they knew they were going to extend it before they even launched the iPad 2 based on their own manufacturing schedule (which they decide upon).

I wasn't an English major in college, but I still shouldn't have to point out improper wording. (Yes, I know, I'm being an ass, but IMHO it really makes a difference in the article's tone).

Why have not any of you babblers correlate the announcements of extended shipping times with the timeline of the Japan disaster announcements? Over selling may be a cover for more desperate supply link problems.

I wonder how long it will take to buy one of these in Canada once they start selling them on March 25th. I was able to get my iPhone 4 only on Sept 28, before that Rogers was constantly out of stock and as far as I know even mid-January it was difficult to buy iPhone 4 in Canada from Rogers.

Geez, again with the semantics, AI! Do you really know that Apple was "forced" to change its shipping time? Maybe they knew they were going to extend it before they even launched the iPad 2 based on their own manufacturing schedule (which they decide upon).

I wasn't an English major in college, but I still shouldn't have to point out improper wording. (Yes, I know, I'm being an ass, but IMHO it really makes a difference in the article's tone).

-=|Mgkwho

I agree!

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." Douglas Adams

The iPad 2 sold more in a matter of hours than the Xoom will sell for the entire quarter. It's estimated that the Xoom will sell around 300,000 for the entire quarter. Anybody who even mentions the Xoom in the same breath as iPad, and is seriously trying to compare the two is living on a different planet, or at the very least in a rubber padded room.

I'm not so sure. It all comes down to supply. If Apple can't build enough iPads, they might not be able to take advantage of the fire they started, and people might get frustrated and go for a Xoom. And buy Android apps and lock themselves in. Apple has a real risk here, and the iPad2's buildability matters a lot more at this point than any other spec the device has.

Anyone know if the Japanese quake will cause (or is causing) supply chain delays in the iPad? Does iFixit have a component source breakdown anywhere?

Congratulations, you've just stumbled into the elephant in the room. Anyone thinking that Apple will be unaffected by events in Japan shows just how little they know about think impact of global events on a global company.

Yes, demand is overwhelming whenever there are supply constraints. That is the nature of supply and demand.

Wow. Apple is on fire! I went to the Apple store opening day and saw the line and headed straight home. I ordered it online and will be waiting another 2-3 weeks. Ah Cest La Vie I'm in no rush and my current iPad makes the waiting easier.

Poor Motorola. I'd be just a tad worried about Xoom sales at this point.

Looks like we may not have to worry about the "Flash in the pan" for too long! A million people have voted and Android's argument/advantage will vanish in a puff of vapor.

We need some balance here. We need DaHarder to post pictures of his superior Galaxy Tabs and Xooms. We need some pontifications about the deal killing flaws of the iPad 2. We need some "no Flash, no deal" tirades. Oh, and a few iSheep comments wouldn't hurt either.

The iPad 2 sold more in a matter of hours than the Xoom will sell for the entire quarter. It's estimated that the Xoom will sell around 300,000 for the entire quarter. Anybody who even mentions the Xoom in the same breath as iPad, and is seriously trying to compare the two is living on a different planet, or at the very least in a rubber padded room.

Motorola should take advantage of the situation and reduce the price of their tablet"Xoom$595. No Waiting!" Unfortunately when its time for buyers to mail back their Xooms for the one-week upgrade to 4G, Apple can run ads with "No Waiting" too. Won't be long before the Xoom becomes the Zune.

Congratulations, you've just stumbled into the elephant in the room. Anyone thinking that Apple will be unaffected by events in Japan shows just how little they know about think impact of global events on a global company.

Yes, demand is overwhelming whenever there are supply constraints. That is the nature of supply and demand.

Actually, your comments demonstrate how little you know about Apple's supply chain. Apple only get flash drives from Japan and the factory was unaffected by the the recent events. Congratulations, you just stumbled into letting everyone know what you don't know. Get catch phrases in your post though, but utter rubbish.

I'm sure they get flash from japan, I would expect they are changing the supply balance as we speak.

It's still uncertain how much the events in Japan will affect Apple I think.

Memory chip prices are sharply on the rise though. If there's an added delay due to the events in Japan, then people will just have to wait. It's not like they have any choice. And people complaining about it won't help either. I'm sure that there are more important things going on at the moment than people getting their iPad 2's. I think that other manufacturers will be more greatly affected than Apple though, especially other mobile phone manufacturers.

Toshiba Corporation, which supplies Nand chips to companies including Apple, said it had halted operations in parts of Japan that were hit by the earthquake. It also closed other sites following a request by Tokyo Electric Power Company to reduce electricity consumption.

Toshiba, which supplies a third of the world’s Nand chips, said it had closed three plants in the Kanto area. Four other factories in Tokyo and in the adjacent Kanagawa prefecture have reduced operations.

Motorola should take advantage of the situation and reduce the price of their tablet"Xoom$595. No Waiting!" Unfortunately when its time for buyers to mail back their Xooms for the one-week upgrade to 4G, Apple can run ads with "No Waiting" too. Won't be long before the Xoom becomes the Zune.

They can always resort to a "Buy one Get one Free" deal, which is the case with many of those android phones.

Actually, your comments demonstrate how little you know about Apple's supply chain. Apple only get flash drives from Japan and the factory was unaffected by the the recent events. Congratulations, you just stumbled into letting everyone know what you don't know. Get catch phrases in your post though, but utter rubbish.

I was reading that the CPU is made by Samsung and Samsung also makes a ton of nand memory, so it kind of makes sense that both of those would come from Samsung. I don't know for sure, I'm just speculating here.

It's still uncertain how much the events in Japan will affect Apple I think.

Memory chip prices are sharply on the rise though. If there's an added delay due to the events in Japan, then people will just have to wait. It's not like they have any choice. And people complaining about it won't help either. I'm sure that there are more important things going on at the moment than people getting their iPad 2's. I think that other manufacturers will be more greatly affected than Apple though, especially other mobile phone manufacturers.

Toshiba Corporation, which supplies Nand chips to companies including Apple, said it had halted operations in parts of Japan that were hit by the earthquake. It also closed other sites following a request by Tokyo Electric Power Company to reduce electricity consumption.

Toshiba, which supplies a third of the worlds Nand chips, said it had closed three plants in the Kanto area. Four other factories in Tokyo and in the adjacent Kanagawa prefecture have reduced operations.

some argue that this will take weeks to walk through the supply chain... However, it's my understanding that Apple's Supply chain is one of the tightest in the industry, and it will likely hit production in a matter of less than 2 weeks.

However My real worry is the impact on the demand side... if this disaster worsens, will it cause a global 'double dip' in recession and impact sales long term. Japan is definitely going to be impacted directly.... spend money on heating, gas, food (my reports from Tokyo is that food is now in short supply, and will be for several weeks).... or an iPad2?

Yes Apple, work hard cracking the whip that makes the slaves pump these out faster. Apple you are not "working hard", your supply contractors are, ergo the common Chinese worker.

Taking a month to ramp up proper production is hardly rocket science.

It's not about ramping up production, it's about switching your production line over to a new product while phasing out an old one. Apple (and every other company) doesn't build a production line based on what initial demand is going to be, but rather demand over the long haul. Why build a facility that can crank out 100,000 units a day if you're on-going demand is only going to be 10,000/day? Sure, you might be able to meet initial demand more easily, but your capital investment is going to waste as production lines sit idle (and ultimately those would get passed through to the consumer in the form of higher prices).

So Apple is forced to make a choice between when they expect to be able to discontinue production on an old model (iPad 1) and start production on the next one (iPad 2) and how many units they can produce before old stocks run dry. It amazes me to think that people really believe there's a conspiracy (not saying you do) that Apple artificially holds back stock on a launch and would rather people go away pissed without an iPad then make a $600 sale. They may manipulate pre-orders and release times, etc. to affect PR of the release, but to purposely choose a potential lost sale over dollars in hand is crazy. Especially with a product that may, in part, heavily rely on people's inability to avoid impulse purchases built up from excitement. I guarantee some folks that would've bought on day 1 will have a lot of time to think in the next 4-5 weeks and come to the realization that, "you know what, I really don't need it and probably should use the money to pay for <INSERT MORE IMPORTANT ITEM THAN IPAD 2 HERE> that I've been putting off". Crazy I tell you! Apple and its shareholders don't want that.

Anyway, Apple will run their lines like crazy trying to build up a decent supply for an initial launch, but there's just no realistic way to build capacity to meet the demand of a product launch like this. And if they waited a month to launch until they did have a larger initial supply, they're maybe out of market for most of that month because remember, they've cut off old production and enough demand exists to bleed existing stock. I would imagine it's a pretty fine balancing act between "what can we produce of next gen stock" and "what stocks do we have of old product before we run out" to determine a launch day. And I'd think that this even played into what price points they were willing to drop old product stock to to sell it out and keep people interested in iPads for the 9 or 10 days between announcement of iPad 2 and its release.